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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435205">Obduct.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/castellanz/pseuds/castellanz'>castellanz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:40:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,475</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435205</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/castellanz/pseuds/castellanz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do you know why I told you this story, Will?” He finally questioned. His voice sounding like he was too far away for me to reach.<br/>Fearing his answer, I asked:<br/>“No. Why?”<br/>“I am just like Orion.” And seeing my confused look, he continued. “Trapped in an endless circle. Condemned to suffer and to never be happy alongside those whom I love.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo &amp; Will Solace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello, guys! This is the first time I am writing in English, so I would like to apologize any grammar or spelling errors, since English is my secondary language. This fanfic is not going to have a major difference when compared to the original work, the events here are post-BOO and pre-TOA. The whole Nico storyline is going to differ from the original work, but everything else is going to remain the same.<br/>I had the idea to write this story when I was hearing a really pretty Brazilian song called "O Universo na Cabeça do Alfinete" (The Universe in the pin head) by one of my favorite singers, Lenine. I would very much recommend you guys to hear this specific song, I would happily translate it to english if requested! Just reach me out on twitter, @castellxnz. This whole fanfiction was created after long nights hearing this singer's album, "Carbono".<br/>Thanks for reading all of this! It means so much to me. I hope you guys enjoy the reading as much as I enjoyed writing this story.<br/>Big hugs,<br/>Izabella.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I still remembered clearly all the starry nights we spent above a crag, mishandled by a ruthless ocean. There, once mine, the boy with a hair darker than the dawn pitch used to tell the most crazy and funny histories, mixed with truthful facts and Greek tragedies, some of which were true.<br/>
“You should let the ocean take all of your worries and sadness away.” He used to say.<br/>
“I have no idea how you can remember all of those stories.” I said, foundling his rebellious hair. “I think that’s wonderful.”<br/>
And the next moment, a silence came upon us. We could only hear the sound of the sea swallowing the sand, the waves tearing apart and the gentle hug of the cold breeze touching our skin.<br/>
“Did you know in some legends Orion was imprisoned in the sky because a god’s jealousy?” He said out of blue in one of those nights, while staring a constellation.<br/>
“And why would a god feel jealous towards a human?” I laughed softly, but Nico did not follow me.<br/>
“Orion was in love with Artemis. But the goddess had already sworn eternal chastity and she started to love him back. Apollo, her twin brother, had not enjoyed this, since he worried about his sister’s oath. Then, one day, Apollo asked so Earth would send an enormous scorpion to fight with Orion, who almost won since he swam to Delos. Apollo, so he could conclude his plan, challenged his sister which had a perfect aiming ability to shot into a dark spot inside the island. Artemis shot, but this dark spot was not the scorpion, but Orion himself.”<br/>
“And then, what happened?”<br/>
“Artemis begged the other gods so they could restore Orion’s life, but Zeus denied her request. In order to eternize him, she transformed her beloved one in a constellation. Even so, the scorpion still chased him in an endless hunt. Every time Orion disappears in the horizon, the scorpion’s constellation appears in the East.” Nico’s long and slender fingers went through his neck. If I were just a little bit more cautious, I would have noticed the long sigh he let escape, as well a startling void taking place of his usual sparky and brilliant eyes. Nico then wasn’t there, but miles and miles away.<br/>
“I liked the story. I didn’t know this one.” I confessed while running my thumb over his icy hand.<br/>
“Do you know why I told you this story, Will?” He finally questioned. His voice sounding like he was too far away for me to reach.<br/>
Fearing his answer, I asked:<br/>
“No. Why?”<br/>
“I am just like Orion.” And seeing my confused look, he continued. “Trapped in an endless circle. Condemned to suffer and to never be happy alongside those whom I love.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A message</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello guys! I'm so sorry it took me so long to write again. I'd just started grad school and sometimes I think I'm going to lose it since all I have is remote classes (crying emoji). I would like to apologize for any grammar mistakes in grammar or spelling. I'm not sure how to write using quotation marks in English since in my native language we only use bars, so, forgive me for any mistakes! I had a The Hunger Games book as a reference. <br/>I also never read Percy Jackson in English, so forgive me any mistranslations. Please, correct me as you please! I'm writing in order to improve my written English since I think it is too basic. I appreciate everyone who left me a "Kudo" and the one who favorited even though the prologue was super short. Thanks a lot! If you may like, reach me out at Twitter @castellxnz. I would love to talk to one of my readers. <br/>Thanks again for all of the support. <br/>Have a good reading!<br/>P.S.: I first intend to make all chapters this long. If I dare to recommend a song in my native language again, I would like to recommend a song called "Simples Assim" by Lenine. It has inspired me to write this chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I missed those times when life was simpler.<br/>Unfortunately, life goes on. We need to keep our hopes in uncertain futures, even though things are not the way they were supposed to be. Human resilience in molding themselves against all the challenges is mesmerizing. Still, we ask ourselves if we can do so when necessary. The simple answer is: yes. We can. No matter what obstacle we face, we find a way to contour it or even go through it. <br/>The problem is: no one warns us how hard it is doing something like that. <br/>On that cold December morning, no one told me Nico would disappear without traces. When I opened his apartment door, he was not there anymore. His clothes, belongings, documents, everything remained untouched. The cold got even worse when I understood what happened: he was gone. Suddenly the temperature seemed to drop much more than twenty degrees, so did my will to live. For a long time, Nico was the only reason that kept me imprisoned in this world. And even though I knew how much it was not healthy, I could not avoid feeling he was gone and took a piece of me with him. Maybe myself entirely.<br/>Yet, as I previously said, humans beings are resilient creatures. With time and tons of medicines to help, the pain slowly passed, never entirely thought. The void inside of me still existed. Perhaps he did not know how his precipitous absence would affect me. Maybe he knew and decided to leave anyway. I was never capable of understanding his reasons to disappear. <br/>Then, on a cold autumn morning where I had left my house to see the sun and ask my Father for some answers, a leaf dyed out of pure black falls over my shoes. I drop the coffee I was holding when my eyes captured its image because I know to whom such a thing belonged. Nico had told me about the black leaves once. I could never let such information escape since I replayed all of our last conversations in my mind to remember a detail that could help me to find him. Trembling my hands, I slowly grab that fragile leaf as if it were a rare diamond. That leaf was the first sign I have got in two years. <br/><i> "The end is where everything begins." </i><br/>That was the phrase carefully written in gray ink over the leaf in such small and delicate calligraphy. If my eyes were not trained to perceive any Nico di Angelo sign, I would have missed it. At that instant, I remembered our last conversation:<br/>“Because I am just like Orion,” as he saw my confused look, he said “trapped in an endless circle. Destined to suffer and never be happy alongside whom I love.”<br/>“Come on, Nico! Don't you dare to say silly things!” I complained after a long shiver traveled across my spine. Di Angelo was not very famous for his jokes. He never joked around.<br/>“I mean this, Will. All of this,” and gesticulated towards the rock we were in and then to the ocean. “It is not right to me. I am wrong. We are wrong.”<br/>Naively, believing Nico referred just to our relationship, I answered:<br/>“We are not wrong, meathead. We already talked about how perfectly normal it is to two guys have a relationship.”<br/>“It is not about this, Will,” and starred at me.<br/>For a second, I had lost myself in those dark as the sea in a storm day eyes. They were just like one of those nebulas Nico talked about incessantly: mysterious, mesmerizing. They carried a width, an intensity that carried me away. In those eyes as intriguing as the ocean, I did not notice a spark of desperation, a silent cry for help his subtle eyebrows movement denounced. <br/>"This is the end," he said, now starring at the ocean. "The end is where everything begins." <br/>"I do not understand, darling... What do you mean?" <br/>"Nothing. It is just a reverie on a spring night. We should go home, Will. I have to get a few things at my apartment. I will sleep over there tonight."<br/>"Right. Next Sunday you will move in with me! That is incredible, love!"<br/>"Yes baby, absolutely," after I spotted a smile on his lips, I felt my shoulders a little more relaxed. I had not noticed how tense I was. <br/>I wish I could go back in time and warn myself it was not an unnecessary tension. If I could go back in time, I would have enjoyed more of that night. I would have held Nico tightly, assuring him I would be by his side at any moment, no matter what situation was going on. And perhaps he would have stayed.<br/>"Sir, you dropped your coffee!" a childish voice warns me, separating myself from my daydreams. When I look at the ground, I see a huge coffee stain. I did not remember letting my cup go. <br/>"I am sorry. I got all clumsy. Thank you for warning me." I answer while smiling at the little girl who had just got my attention. She smiles back and runs to her mother while I gather the cup in the ground. Once again, I look to the black leaf. I know I should go to that rock to finally have some answers but not before visiting an old friend, Perseus Jackson. <br/>"Will, why are you crying?" This is the first thing Percy asks me while opening the apartment door. It was when I finally could let go out the breath I did not even remember holding in the first place. The agony I carried while running towards Percy's residence starts to show up. I feel as if my oxygen supply drops abruptly. My muscles hurt due to both tiredness and emotion. All I feel is the urge to cry out of desperation. I do not know what to do. <br/>Noticing how desperate I am, he screams for Annabeth, who gives me a paper bag to control my respiratory rhythm.<br/>"Breath in, breath out, Will. Keep calm," she says with a smooth and calm voice while guiding me to the blue couch. "Percy, please pick a glass of water."<br/>After I sit, I inhale the air, trying to recover my breath and organize my thoughts. I mentally thank Percy when he gives me a glass of water. I drink a little, as I try to escape the curious looks I have gotten from the couple.<br/>"I think I have got a message from Nico," I announce. It was enough to Percy open his mouth out of surprise. Annabeth gives me an unintentional disbeliever look. "I swear! See for yourself," I show the black leaf.<br/>After a few seconds starring it, Annabeth fixes her tempestuous gray eyes onto me, probably unsure how to proceed since she worries about my mental sanity. I understand why. She fears I started to see unexistent signs and create scenarios in my mind. She was right. I showed up at their door more than once, telling them how a non-existent spirit tried to talk to me or how a chicken's bone tried to move in communication. <br/>"This time it is a hundred percent real, I swear! Look, Hazel once told me about a peculiarity the Underworld children had: being capable of using the dead nature to communicate. They can write a message in a dead leaf, whistle, and the receptor will receive the message as long as they are close to nature. I was at Central Park today morning." <br/>Percy's eyes illuminate themselves. The poor man felt desolate with Nico's disappearance. He already had failed with Bianca and saw Nico as a young brother. After Gaia's events and Nico's confession, they got closer and unraveled a new feeling: fraternal love. Since then, Percy started to love Nico and vice-versa. Their friendship was almost unbeatable. I know Percy blamed himself due not being able to create this bond before. However, I also knew Nico forgave him.<br/>"Are you sure, Will?" the green-eyed man asks me, and I immediately confirm.<br/>"More than anything in this world. A day before he was ... gone, we were in a rock at a beach in the Camp. He said something about it being the end. I suppose we should head there."<br/>"Or maybe this alleged end is his own apartment, right? There was the last place he was in," Percy questions. <br/>"We turned that place upside down several times, and we never found anything. I checked every single corner looking for a missed detail and ... Nothing." <br/>"Wait, both of you," interrupts Annabeth. "Even if this note is real, what would a rock hide that the ocean would not take away? That beach has pretty strong waves, whatever is hiding there probably is now gone. And as you said, Will, we had torn the apartment upside down and found nothing. How can we be sure this is not a joke? From the Stolls maybe?" <br/>"I do not think they would joke about something like that, Annie," Percy says, focusing at the little table in the middle of the room. <br/>"That is too vague Will, I am deeply sorry," she starts again. "We have no way of knowing whether this alleged end is the rock, the last place he had been to, or if we should start chasing him in the place where something important had happened for the first time. Where did you two meet?"<br/>"In the battlefield against Gaia. We shared our first words shortly before Octavian threw himself from that onager. I do not believe it means something."<br/>"Unless ..." Percy starts, and we face him. "Perhaps the start is the place where he found he was a demigod. The boarding school: Westover Hall. It has a rock facing the ocean, which matches the last place Will and Nico had talked. And that is probably the best place in the world to hide something."<br/>"Seaweed Brain, that was... Brilliant!" Annabeth says, impressed looking at him. I could not help but notice her proud smile. Also, I could not avoid that slight jealousy due to their proximity. I missed when Nico gave me that smile whenever I got some word in Italian right. <br/>"I have my moments, Wise Girl," he answers while blushing. A strange happy feeling leashes out in the shape of laughter. I had not laughed in ages. <br/>"Is it the school Piper is working as a counselor?" I comment. After reaching out eighteen years, some demigods got into college, while a few others remained in the Camp to train and take care of new campers. More demigods were increasingly coming in. Dyonisius and Chiron could not handle that many campers therefore, some of the older campers had gone on missions to help the satyrs, infiltrating themselves at schools and preparing special children for the world they would face. Piper McLean, as Psychology Bachelor, volunteered as a school counselor. I guess kids do need professional help to fit in the crazy world of the Olympian Gods. <br/>"I believe so, Will. I will send an Iris Message to Chiron asking about it. I am ninety-nine percent sure she does though," says Annabeth. I gaze at her and smile. We were on the right path. "But firstly, Hazel should see if this lead is actually a Hades's children message. We can not go out blindfolded."<br/>"Annie," I start, grasping her hands as tight as I could. "I feel it. I know it is a sign. I am not crazy."<br/>"I believe him, Wise Girl. Although, Will, I do agree with her. It is wiser to show the message to Hazer. Who knows what else she could tell us", intervenes Percy. I sigh. He was right. <br/>"Okay. So we will talk to Hazel and listen to what she is going to say," I say, my heart racing because I will have to wait a whole day before receiving new information. <br/>"Come on, do not be sad. Next stop, Camp Jupiter!"</p>
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